Goon's World Extras

Sunday, April 06, 2014

Open Thread: Behind enemy lines, UND vs. UMN

"It's a national semifinal," Minnesota coach Don Lucia. "Who you play is not as important as playing well.

"I'm sure fans will enjoy it. They've been a big rival over the years. For me personally, I don't care if we're playing North Dakota or (whomever). The challenge is to beat a good opponent on Thursday. That's where your focus is. We're not going to get all amped up just because we're playing North Dakota. It's (whomever), the next in line in our path."

Tim Leighton from the Pioneer Press has a really good read from the Minnesota angle on this week's matchup between Minnesota and North Dakota. It's worth taking a look at. Compare and contrast the two quotes. Leighton also quotes former North Dakota alum Craig Perry.
I thought that was interesting, since he hasn't played at UND for a very long time.

"The only thing that could make the rivalry even better is if we were playing each other for the national championship," Gophers junior forward Kyle Rau said. "That would be totally cool and awesome."